'I will not be silenced': Congressman posts letter Trump DOJ sent him for criticizing Musk

20 February

U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi looks on during her first press conference at the Justice Department in Washington, D.C., U.S., February 12, 2025.

The top Department of Justice prosecutor in Washington D.C. is now sending letters to elected officials who criticize President Donald Trump and his administration that include ominous ultimatums.

That's according to Rep. Robert Garcia (D-Calif.), who posted the full text of a letter he received from Edward Martin — the acting U.S. Attorney for the District of Columbia. Martin's letter is just one of several he sent to Democrats who publicly criticized both Trump and centibillionaire Elon Musk. Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) also received letters from Martin, with each one including a deadline to respond.

"So if you criticize Elon Musk, Trump’s DOJ will send you this letter," the California congressman wrote on Bluesky. "Members of Congress must have the right to forcefully oppose the Trump Administration. I will not be silenced."

Martin's letter asks Garcia to elaborate on comments he made about Musk during an interview on CNN, in which he called the Tesla and SpaceX CEO a "d---."

"During a live interview with CNN, when asked how Democrats can stop Elon Musk, you spoke clearly: 'What the American public wants is for us to bring actual weapons to this bar fight. This is an actual fight for democracy,'" Martin wrote, adding that Garcia had until Februrary 24, 2025 to respond. "This sounds to some like a threat to Mr. Musk – an appointed representative of President Donald Trump who you call a 'd---' – and government staff who work for him. Their concerns have led to this inquiry."

Garcia defended his comments, and retorted that "no reasonable person would view my comments as a threat."

"We are living in a dangerous time, and elected members of Congress must have the right to forcefully oppose the Trump Administration," he wrote in a subsequent post. "I will not be silenced."

Click here to read Garcia's original post. And click here to read the full text of Martin's letters to Democrats.

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